What Shadows Leave Behind
by lotsofcuddles
Summary: Charlie and friends head home after the events of 'The Lost'. April has Korakinus's body now. Miss Quill has a baby on the way. Will Charlie and Matteusz's relationship survive after what Charlie did with the Cabinet of Souls?
1. After The Failed Invasion

**Chapter 1:**

 **After The Failed Invasion**

It had taken a little convincing with April's mum when the 'Bunghole of Time' Squad came to her house with Korakinus, or rather April in Korakinus's body. Charlie had asked Quill to come with them to help April with her mum but Quill had had quite a day with all the shadowkin arse-kicking, consoling/teaching Tanya to fight, and carrying a baby in her belly that was currently slowly killing her from the inside. She was no longer the prince's slave, as she put it. So she went home to get some rest, preparing to die birthing a cross species child. April's mum no longer had the ability to walk. She answered the door on her wheelchair when they arrived with a shadowkin and she was alarmed. After a few minutes of explaining by Matteusz and Tanya, she seemed to believe them and she hugged her daughter in a male alien body. Ram was quiet and nobody could blame him. He'd lost his dad to those things and now his love's body had been swapped with the king of those monsters all because of the alien kid's cabinet.

Tanya called her brothers and she was relieved to hear that they were safe and got a lot of questions in return as to what those monstrous things that attacked them in the school library were and why their mum wasn't answering the phone. Tanya was holding up unusually well for a teenager. Matteusz and Charlie were right behind her not looking at each other. After a few minutes she ended the call.

"What now?" she asked.

"You should come with us. You should not be alone." Matteusz suggested, looking at Charlie for support. Charlie nodded.

Tanya looked at them and she knew they were offering help but she wanted to be with her family right now more than anything, what's left of it anyway. "I appreciate the concern but I should be with my brothers" she said.

Matteusz offered to walk her home but she said she'd be fine on her own. They parted ways near April's house, where Ram stayed behind to help with the ruckus that had been caused when the shadowkin had attacked. Charlie and Matteusz walked in silence. Nothing was left to say. Tears were shed and words were shouted.

Charlie was walking in a daze like a lifeless corpse. He deserved it, he thought, for using the ultimate weapon thinking it'd bring back his people. It'd been a fairytale after all. He knew Matteusz was accompanying him only because he was worried for his safety. It'd all end after they went home.

'Home'

It'd no longer be his and Matteusz's home. He looked sideways to Matteusz who was taking slow steps with him. He seemed to be looking straight ahead. It was getting dark. Charlie wouldn't be surprised if the sun never came up again.

Matteusz rang the bell and Quill opened the door for them. She didn't have any sassy remarks for them. They went inside. Charlie ran upstairs. Matteusz and Quill shared a concerned look with each other. Matteusz ran upstairs too. Charlie had locked himself in the bathroom. Matteusz banged on the door. "Charlie! Open the door!" he shouted. There was no response. This followed a couple of minutes and silence fell. Matteusz leaned against the door. "I'm not going anywhere until you open the door" he said. He was standing there like that what for felt like forever. Then he heard a click and the door opened. Tears were rolling down Charlie's face. It hurt Matteusz to look at him like that. He went inside. They hugged each other tightly. It felt very natural to be with each other. Whatever had happened that day, it didn't matter. They needed each other. Charlie sobbed uncontrollably for so many minutes. Matteusz held him and rubbed his back. Nothing needed to be said. Charlie stopped crying after a while but still held onto him. Matteusz slowly took Charlie's jacket off. They parted from the hug and Charlie stood there looking at the floor. Matteusz undressed him slowly. Then he undressed too. He took off both of their socks. Charlie had not felt this naked even when they'd made love. Matteusz led him to the bath tub and made him stand in it. He took the shower head and sprinkled warm water on Charlie's head. He took some shampoo in his hand and lathered it up on his head. Charlie had his eyes open. Matteusz had asked him why he'd bought baby shampoo when he'd first used the bathroom here. "Why would I buy generic shampoo that'd make me cry when there's already one available that doesn't burn my eyes?" Charlie had responded. 'What have you done, Charlie?' Matteusz thought. He didn't know what future they had ahead as a couple but at the moment he didn't want to leave Charlie alone. Charlie wasn't going to be alone with Quill at home but Matteusz was sure even her newfound motherhood could make anyone not feel at edge around her. She was Miss Quill, mother or not. He washed off the suds. He took some body wash and lathered Charlie all over. He started with his back and moved onto his arms. Charlie didn't respond even when he lathered his waist, where he was slightly ticklish. He'd always giggle when Matteusz tickled him there. Matteusz knew he wouldn't respond in any way right now. So he sped up the bath and lathered himself with the body wash too. He was surprised when Charlie helped him wash his back. Both of them washed up quickly and dried off each other.

They went to Charlie's bedroom. Matteusz put on some comfortable clothes and so did Charlie. Even though they were less exhausted after the shower they were very hungry. "Come, let's eat dinner" Matteusz insisted. Charlie didn't move from his bed where he was laying. "Charlie, you cannot go to bed with an empty stomach. You need energy to sleep soundly. Come on" Matteusz said and pulled Charlie from the bed and they came downstairs. Quill was nowhere in the living area. She was probably reading some dystopian novel or resting for the baby. Matteusz looked for food but Miss Quill seemed to have only made herself dinner because he saw a plate and a pan in the sink. He looked over Charlie who was sitting at the dinner table. He usually would be on his phone looking up pop culture stuff when he waited for food. Not much time had passed but Matteusz was used to cooking Charlie what little easy recipes he'd learned from his grandmother. He knew none of them had the appetite to eat anything after surviving an alien invasion. So he opened the fridge and some leftover pizza which Miss Quill despised along with all other junk food which made humans unhealthy. He heated up the pizza and put it on a plate and sat down with Charlie. They both ate in silence. Matteusz took out the butterscotch ice cream with chocolate chips in it. Charlie liked ice cream. They washed it down with a glass of water. Matteusz would wash the dishes but he didn't feel like it tonight. They went upstairs to Charlie's bedroom. Matteusz heard a video call coming through Charlie's PC. "Aren't you going to answer it?" Mateusz asked, to which Charlie shook his head in response. It was April calling. So Matteusz answered and it was still weird to see Korakinus's face pop up on the screen.

"Matteusz! You're with Charlie. Thank God he's not alone. I called to check on him. I tried calling both of you on your phones" she said.

"Our phones probably died of low battery. We are alright. Are you alright? Is your mother okay?" Matteusz asked.

"Yeah, we are." April said in a dejected voice.

Matteusz turned to see Charlie laying on the bed with his back to him. He turned to look at April still on the screen but not saying anything. He hadn't interacted with her much before even though she was Charlie's best friend.

"Where is Ram?" he asked.

April looked up. "He left after a while. He said he needed to talk to his mum and make sure she's safe and tell her about his dad." she said. There was silence again. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

"I am alright. I am worried about Charlie though. He's barely talked" he said. He wasn't sure if Charlie could hear him.

"I'm sure he'll be alright with you by his side" April said and made a face which probably was a smile but looked sinister. She turned from the screen. "Mum's calling. I've got to go. We'll talk later" she said and ended the call.

Matteusz stared at the screen for a couple of minutes and then turned it off. He was already wearing pajamas. He crawled into the bed and switched off the lights. "Dobranoc, Charlie" he said and was about to close his eyes when he felt Charlie turn in the bed. Charlie put his head on his shoulder and his hand on his chest. Matteusz held him as they drifted off to sleep not caring about the nightmares that could ruin their sleep. For now all they needed was not to be alone.


	2. I Lost Him

Morning came just like every other day. Sunlight shone through the bedroom window and illuminated the room. Charlie opened his eyes and there were a few seconds where everything was the same until realization hit and everything had changed. The sun did rise today. All Rhodians were still gone. Souls of all the Rhodians from the Cabinet were gone too. Charlie shut his eyes. He knew Quill had saved his life but he couldn't understand why because prior to that she had hated him with every fiber of her being. Maybe motherhood had changed her. He didn't know if he should thank her or despise her for that.

He must have turned over in bed at night. He needed Matteusz's warmth right now. He felt lost without it. He was lost without him. He turned to find the other side of the bed empty. He didn't feel disappointed at Matteusz's absence, rather oddly felt hollow on the inside. His deepest fear had come true when he lost Matteusz the moment he decided to use the damned Cabinet against Matteusz's pleas. He knew Matteusz had come home with him yesterday only to make sure he was alright because that's the kind of a good person he was. He wouldn't be surprised if Matteusz wanted nothing to do with him from now on.

Charlie didn't regret the lack of restraint he'd had over the weapon but he hated it at the same time. That moment when Corakinus threatened to kill Matteusz was the scariest he'd ever felt in his life, and the angriest. He couldn't lose him to the same thing that he'd lost his whole world to before. He'd rather have Matteusz alive and lose him than have him murdered by the shadowkin. No one deserved death by those monsters. April didn't have a choice and that's why she had believed in him to do the right thing; to save everybody. He couldn't wallow anymore, not this early in the day anyway. He noticed Matteusz had plugged both their phones to the chargers. Charlie went to the bathroom. He heard the shower running and the curtain drawn. Matteusz hadn't left. He picked up his toothbrush to clean his teeth. He noticed Matteusz's toothbrush was not in the holder. So he was getting ready to leave. Charlie needed to shower and eat before he left the house. He was a creature of habit. These mundane actions were the only things he had to keep himself sane. He didn't know what would happen to him when Matteusz did leave him. He finished brushing his teeth, left the bathroom, picked some fresh clothes from the closet and went downstairs. He showered in the downstairs bathroom quickly, dried off and dressed up in a hurry. When he came to the kitchen Quill was pouring herself some tea. She must have read that coffee was bad for the baby. He was going to head upstairs but Quill spoke up.

"Why didn't you use your own bathroom, Charles?"

Charlie turned and looked at her. He wasn't going to appear weak to her. "Matteusz needed it for his morning stuff", he said.

Quill gave him a sharp look like she wasn't having it but took her eyes off him after a couple of seconds. Aren't you gonna have breakfast?" she offered.

"Since when do you care if I ate or not?" Charlie asked in annoyance.

"I don't. I thought maybe I'll be nice since you went through all that yesterday. Guess that war didn't knock you off your high horse, Prince!"

"Are you done?" Charlie asked without annoyance.

That was odd. He always rebuked when she taunted him. Guess that war did affect him. "Yeah, go about your day" she said in a voice lower than usual.

Charlie hoped Matteusz hadn't come out of the bathroom yet and he was right. He picked his bag and phone up and headed out of the house as soon as possible. He didn't want to be there when Matteusz left the house for good.

He called April and asked her if he could come over to her house. She'd said yes. They didn't have school for another couple of hours. He walked to her house. He was greeted by April's mother at the door. Neither of them smiled or said anything. He went inside and noticed how colorful April's house was. April was eating breakfast at the table. It looked so strange to see a shadowkin sitting at a table eating eggs in a civilized manner.

"Would you like to join us, Charlie? Mum didn't know how much my new body would need, so she made extra everything" April offered.

Charlie thought April must be very lucky that her mum didn't treated her any differently. He supposed they talked the night before.

"Yes. I rushed out of the house without eating anything."

He pulled up a chair and sat and he was served some scrambled eggs and some bacon. He made an uncomfortable face and April's mother noticed it. "What's the matter, dear?" she asked.

"Mum, Charlie is a vegetarian. He doesn't eat meat" April answered for him.

Charlie awkwardly sat there as April's mum took back the bacon she'd served on his plate. She poured him some milk in a glass and he ate up quickly. No one seemed to bring up what had happened. He supposed this was how British people coped with horrible things; ignoring the elephant in the room and just going about their day. He was fascinated when the shadowkin had attacked the school the first time and the next day nobody seemed to be fazed by it.

After finishing up, Charlie helped April to clean the table and put the dishes in the sink to be washed later. Both of them went to her bedroom and closed the door.

"I was so worried about you. How are you?" April asked.

Charlie just looked down and didn't answer.

"Oh dear!" April responded. Charlie looked like he was holding back a lot. If she didn't try anything he'd never open up.

"How's my new look by the way? Do I look cute?" April joked.

Charlie didn't seem to be in the mood for funny. April wondered how it must feel like to have lost all hope of getting one's people back.

"Where's Matteusz? He was with you last night", she said.

Charlie looked up. "He's probably packing up to leave the house right now", he said with a pained expression.

"What!" April couldn't believe what she just heard. "What are you saying?"

Charlie couldn't do it. He couldn't hold back. He let go and cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. April scooted closer on the bed where they were sitting and held him. "Hey, come on. He wouldn't leave you. He loves you more than anything", she tried consoling hm.

"No, he doesn't. He only came home last night to make sure I was alright" Charlie said in between tears.

"Did he say he was leaving? Was he packing when you left the house?" April asked.

"No. He was in the shower. His toothbrush wasn't in the holder. He wasn't there in the bed when I woke up. We always stay in bed before both of us wake up."

"Oh, Charlie, he probably just didn't want to disturb you", April said.

He didn't seem to stop weeping. He kept saying "I lost him. I lost him…"

April knew if he kept this going on he'd definitely start hyperventilating. She rubbed his back as she texted Matteusz with the other hand.

CHARLIE IS NOT OK. COME TO MY HOUSE. NOW!

Matteusz came out of the bathroom to see Charlie wasn't in the room. He'd heard him come in and brush his teeth. He thought he'd join him in the shower but he'd left. He must've gone down for breakfast, Matteusz thought. He was drying himself when he heard his phone's text ringtone go off. He checked it and he dropped the towel the second he read the text. He threw on what clothes he could find and rushed out of the bedroom and downstairs.

"Bloody teenagers", Quill seethed as she saw Matteusz rush out of the house. She sometimes felt like she could puke at all the drama that annoying Rhodian and the human had between themselves.

Matteusz rang the bell to April's house and he was worried about Charlie. He hoped he wasn't having a panic attack like last time. April's mum answered the door. She wasn't surprised to see him.

"I'm sorry Mrs. MacLean, but April asked me to come over. Where is Charlie?" he asked.

"They're in her bedroom…" was all she could say as he ran inside.

Matteusz knocked on April's bedroom door. April opened the door. Matteusz needed some getting used to her new body. He saw Charlie sobbing on her bed. He rushed to his side and held him. He looked at April and she understood. She closed the door behind her as she gave them privacy.

"Charlie, I am here. It's alright" Matteusz kept reassuring him as he held his face. Charlie wouldn't stop crying. The crying just got worse and he couldn't catch his breath. Matteusz hugged him and rubbed his back. It seemed to calm him a little. Charlie hugged him tightly like he didn't want to let him go. They stayed there like that.

April went to the living room where her mum was waiting. She sat down on the sofa.

"What's his name again?" April's mum asked.

"Matteusz Andrzejewski" April said. Her mum didn't seem to remember it.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Charlie's vulnerable right now. He thinks Matteusz is gonna leave him."

"From what I've seen, the way that boy looks at your friend, they're sweethearts for life."

"I know!"

After a few minutes Charlie let go of the hug and looked down. Matteusz took his face in his hands and said, "Charlie, look at me."

Charlie looked up to those beautiful blue green eyes that he loved so much.

"I did not lie when I made that promise yesterday. I will make that promise again today, and tomorrow, and the day after that" Matteusz said with determination.

"But you saw me use the Cabinet. You should hate me right now", Charlie said confused.

"I know I said I was worried that I could not be with you if you used the Cabinet. But I do not know what it is like to lose my whole species to death or what I would have done if I was in your shoes. I will not pretend to understand. I don't want to be the person you lose while you are still alive. I realized it when Corakinus held sword to my neck. Please forgive me for making you feel like you should abide by my conditions. I don't want you to feel guilty because of me."

Charlie wasn't sure if he'd ever stop feeling guilty but he was less sad because Matteusz was here with him. He promised. He loved him.

"So you are not afraid of me, you're not leaving me?" Charlie asked.

"I am afraid of you. I am afraid of you losing hope in us."

Charlie always felt dumb when he didn't understand what Matteusz was trying to convey.

"What made you think I was leaving you?"

"Your toothbrush wasn't in the holder. Doesn't it mean our relationship ended?"

"You are a fool, you know that. You watch too many relationship drama shows, Charlie", said Matteusz, chuckling.

Charlie felt embarrassed as he leaned his head on Matteusz's chest as Matteusz kissed his head.

Charlie's phone started buzzing. He took it out saw that Quill was calling. "Should I answer it?" he asked. Matteusz nodded. What he heard on the phone made him stand up quickly.

April's mum had had it with these kids. She could only handle so much alien drama this early in the morning because a minute later Charlie, Matteusz, and April were rushing out of her house.


	3. Tantrums

Charlie was running along with April which was way faster than Matteusz. Matteusz had always outrun Charlie before, when they exercised. Apparently Miss Quill was experiencing extreme pain. Matteusz didn't understand how Charlie could be kind to the woman who antagonized him at every chance she got but that was also the reason he loved Charlie because no one sure as hell could be that kind in this day. Matteusz was breathing hard by the time they reached Charlie's house. He hadn't had any breakfast yet. They opened the door with Charlie's key and rushed in to see Quill standing in the kitchen, drinking orange juice from a carton like nothing had happened.

"Are you alright? Where do you feel pain? Shall I try calling the Doctor again?" Charlie asked in one breath.

Quill looked at them. "Why?" she asked.

"Didn't you wail into the phone that you were experiencing great pain?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, right. That was 5 minutes ago. Little thing has its bloody tantrums and it's not even out of my womb yet", Quill said.

Charlie sighed in relief and so did Matteusz and April.

"What's it right now for you lovebirds? Can we finally have the house to ourselves or is the Pole still staying?" Quill asked.

"His name is Matteusz and he'll stay here as long as I'm here. You are not to question it." Charlie replied in a serious tone.

"Whatever", Quill retorted, took a look at April, and left the kitchen moving towards her bedroom.

"Motherhood hasn't changed her", April commented.

Charlie nodded in agreement. They stood there for a few seconds before Matteusz went to the fridge and took out some eggs to make scrambled eggs with veggies and meat. April and Charlie headed to the living area and plopped on the sofa.

"Did you notice how Matteusz was catching up with us on the way?" April asked, still a bit surprised with her new body and all the strength.

Charlie nodded. He was giving small responses to her questions, April noticed.

"How are things with Matteusz?" she enquired.

"We're good", Charlie said in a monotone.

April felt sorry for Charlie. Poor guy had gone through so much since his time on earth. She remembered his determination when he had said he wouldn't hurt a friend that day when she was decorating for prom and got attacked by the Shadowkin. She wanted to apologize for asking Charlie to shoot her but she knew that he knew that. He was her best friend right now, besides her mum.

"Charlie, April, you want breakfast?" Matteusz asked from the kitchen.

"We already ate at my house!" April replied.

"Have you spoken to Tanya?" Charlie asked April.

"Yeah", April responded.

"How is she?"

"She is holding up quite well. Her aunt is with her and her brothers. I don't know how she's going to explain all this", April sounded worried.

Charlie didn't know what to say. Tanya hardly looked at him when they parted ways the day before.

"How is Ram doing?" Charlie asked.

April looked down at the floor. "He hasn't answered my calls", she said, dejected.

Charlie thought he must be the luckiest person in the world. Not everyone was like Matteusz. No one he knew was like Matteusz. He wondered if Matteusz felt the same. He doubted that. But he was lucky to have him near, living and breathing.

Matteusz came to the living room with a plate in hand. He sat next to Charlie. "What will you do about your appearance, April?" he asked.

April made a funny face which was supposed to be exclaiming. "Oh I forgot to tell you. Those weird people who took my body; you know, the ones who said they were employed by the Governors, came to my house last night after our video call. They said they'll have a 'perception altering device' for me as soon as possible. They said I can seem like my old self again to whoever looks at me", she said.

"Be very careful with those people. The headmistress was nowhere to be seen after the war", Charlie said. Matteusz nodded.

They'd attempted calling the Doctor for help after the war. He was unreliable like Quill always said because he didn't answer.

"What do you want to do today?" Matteusz asked April.

"I don't know", April said.

Matteusz wasn't feeling the best but he wanted to make her feel somewhat normal. "I have an idea. I do not know if you will like it."

"What is it?" April asked.

"Do you like makeovers?" Matteusz asked April.

"Yes?" April answered, not sure of herself.

There was silence for a few moments. Charlie looked up at them, turning his gaze from the empty TV screen. Matteusz and April were staring at him with grinning faces.

"What?" Charlie asked, clueless.


	4. Devil Horns and Fairy Wings

"Come help me with the dishes", Matteusz said, at Charlie's confused expression, tilting his head towards the kitchen.

Charlie followed him to the kitchen. Matteusz moved closer to him and started talking in a low voice, "I know you are not alright but can you help me cheer up April? She seems very down."

Charlie did agree with Matteusz. He finished contemplating as he wiped the plate clean which Matteusz just washed and said, "Okay. I can't be all depressed when my friend is in a worse condition."

April had switched on the TV and flicking through channels when the prince and his boyfriend came back to the living room. She looked up from the TV which had nothing interesting on it.

"Charlie is ready to have some fun. I convinced him" Matteusz bragged.

April switched off the TV and got up, all excited to turn Charlie into a Ken doll. They decided they needed all kinds of stuff to make the makeover happen. So they headed to a nearby store with Charlie's credit card.

The girl at the store had her eyes glued on April. "It's for a costume thing" April explained and the girl was relieved to hear a female voice from a big scary looking figure.

It wasn't a posh store, which made Charlie look around in amusement. He'd bought all his clothes from high end shops before. "What's all this?" he asked Matteusz.

"It's a costume shop. Things one would wear to parties and specific holidays for fun" Matteusz said. They were looking around, checking out stuff that caught their attention.

April was picking some devil horns, pleather pants, press-on nails, and was checking out a bow and arrow set.

Matteusz picked flower crowns in different colors. Charlie was amused at how Matteusz seemed to be fascinated by all the fairy stuff like when he picked up a pair of wings and showed it to Charlie, to which he nodded in response not knowing why he was buying those things. Matteusz headed to the skimpy section where costumes like cat ears paired with bikinis were kept. He grinned at a particular one and grabbed it for later use.

"I thought makeover meant bettering one's appearance regarding their clothes and hair. I haven't seen anyone wear plastic wings to school" Charlie said on their way back home.

April laughed at Charlie's confusion and tried to explain "We are not giving you an actual makeover, Charlie. You already look fine with what you wear. Matteusz digs what you wear. You don't need to worry."

Charlie was confused even more. He turned to Matteusz. Matteusz put his arm around Charlie's shoulder and asked "You know how children play with dolls?"

"Yes" he said.

"Well, today you are our doll. We get to dress you up however we want for fun" Matteusz said, ruffling Charlie's hair.

Charlie wasn't sure what his best friend and boyfriend had planned for him. "Okay", he said as they neared their house.

"What!" Charlie asked in shock when Matteusz asked him to strip in front of April.

"You don't need to be shy. I'm already naked. See?" April pointed out.

Surprisingly that was enough. Charlie took off his cardigan and looked at Matteusz. Matteusz encouraged him to take off his button down shirt. "You don't have to get completely naked, Charlie. Don't worry" , he smiled.

Charlie took off his shirt and April wasn't gawking at her as he'd expected. She was looking inside the bag of stuff they'd just bought on their bed. Matteusz took Charlie's had seated him on the bed. April put on the devil horns on him. He could literally sprout horns and he'd still look cute, she thought. Matteusz wondered, like he had many times, what Charlie's real form looked like, what color his skin and eyes were. He pushed those thoughts away for now as April was tying a choker with metal horns, like that of a dog belt, to Charlie's neck.

April handed him the shiny pleather pants and asked him to change into it. Charlie was red all over. "Okay, we won't look" April said.

"Why wouldn't I look?" Matteusz asked, tongue in cheek.

April rolled her eyes at the cute couple and opened the make-up kit from the bag.

Charlie was struggling to pull up the tight pants. So Matteusz helped him pull them up.

April sat him down and started applying eyeliner as Charlie was scrunching up his face. Matteusz was chuckling at the whole episode.

"What do we do after the makeover?' Charlie asked.

"We take pictures of you, duh" April answered as she started contouring his cheekbones to look sharp.

After sticking the long black press-on nails on his fingers, April handed Charlie a whip and asked him to pose. He looked like a lost puppy. Matteusz was ready to take the pictures with his phone and he looked over. He could swear Charlie had never looked this hot and adorable at the same time in nothing but pants and horns. The makeup helped the case as it highlighted his facial features and the faint bulges on his abs.

"Now pose for us like you're about to punish Matteusz for something naughty he did" April suggested and Charlie tried to follow suit. He was awkward in the beginning and then the phone cameras loved him as some music with sick beats blared on the computer speakers.

Charlie seemed to be having fun and that was all Matteusz needed to breathe without worrying. April seemed to be confortable in someone's skin for the moment too. Charlie was allowed to look in the mirror after the shoot and he was gob smacked at how alluringly sexy he looked. So that's why Matteusz was eyeing him like he was a tasty meal.

"Okay. Now let's do a different look. Take off the pants!" April practically commanded with excitement. If someone else saw a guy who looked like a demon with a female voice clicking amateur pictures of a boy in tight pants they'd probably think about all the obvious things that'd come to mind.

Charlie seemed to like the eyeliner. So April kept it. She changed his sharp contouring to a softer one and Matteusz looked in awe as his boyfriend was being transformed into something prettier than he already was. Matteusz handed April the flower crown and she placed the crown on Charlie's head, ruffling his hair for a messy look.

This time he was draped in a toga, vines surrounding his calves, and his lips were a nude pink. April handed him the bow and arrow. Matteusz fixed the wings, standing behind him and April noticed that he must have whispered something because Charlie was blushing beet red.

"You lovebirds can go at it after the shoot. Now focus!" April barked.

Matteusz and Charlie giggled as they broke apart.

Charlie posed with the bow and arrow after it was explained to him who "Cupid" was.

The music blared as the shoot went on. Suddenly they heard banging on the door. Then they heard Quill swearing angrily. A horned Matteusz with a feather boa opened the door.

"Turn down the volume, you imbeciles…" she stopped mid scolding when she saw Charlie.

"I don't even want to know. Just turn down the volume or I swear I'll pluck the eyebrows from your screaming faces!" Quill shouted and turned on her heels before they could respond.

April and the couple looked at each and started laughing hard. Oh they needed this. All they've had for the past weeks is panic and sorrow. Whatever incident that brought out a good laugh, they needed it, even if it made them forget about the disaster for a few moments.


	5. You Will Always Be My Prince

April stayed for lunch and left around tea time when her mum called. Matteusz offered to walk her home but she said it was fine. Soon she'll be able to appear as herself and Charlie would have one less reminder of the awful experience they all had the other day. Matteusz was boiling water on the kettle. He'd learned that Charlie calmed a little with tea. He wasn't used to taking care of another person like this before Charlie. But to make this relationship work he'd do anything. Loving someone and being in a relationship with them was two different things, he'd learned in the time he'd experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of his teenage life. He was scared of what Charlie was capable of before. But now he knew what Charlie was capable of and he didn't the big unanswered question anymore but other questions took that place. He carried the tea filled cups upstairs as he thought about what Charlie said to Corakinus when he threatened to kill Matteusz. He wasn't one to romanticize what that meant for him or Charlie, but he wasn't gonna be all "teenage angst"-y about the whole thing with Charlie. His boyfriend had suffered enough along with the others and then some. His thoughts came to a halt when he entered their room and saw Charlie out of all the costumes and back in his casual clothes, inspecting gold underwear. Charlie turned to him with questioning eyes and Matteusz went all red. It was a wonder to him that even after everything he still felt there was so much they can reveal and learn about themselves to each other. This wasn't some big secret or anything but Charlie made his insides melt with his cuteness, his general questioning brows, and the way his pants always hugged his lean muscular legs.

"You were not supposed to find it so soon" Matteusz said.

"Why did you buy a shiny under garment that says 'OUT OF THIS WORLD' on the back?" Charlie asked.

Matteusz grinned and wondered how long it would take Charlie to get the pun. His boyfriend still wasn't much familiar on slang, so probably never. "You will get it one day. Put it back in the bag", he said and went ahead to hand him the tea. Charlie smiled at the mundane gesture and things like these made Matteusz remember why he loved this fascinating person. For a person who made grand promises and always wore his heart on the sleeve with Charlie, Matteusz always felt he didn't communicate enough what Charlie was to him. As soon as Charlie finished his tea he took the cup out of his hands and placed it aside and grabbed his face and planted a kiss, less passionate and more reassuring, on his lips. They parted their lips after a few seconds. Charlie had his questioning look again. They looked into each other's eyes and this time words weren't needed to convey what needed conveying; that he wasn't ever going to leave Charlie.

"Do you promise?' Charlie asked.

"Yes, I do" Matteusz answered.

Charlie felt less crappy when he heard Matteusz say that but he would always have that question until they progress in their relationship and got over all this. He wasn't sure if that was possible but he wasn't going to give up on the only person who accepted him. He felt the need to be closer to his only love so he locked their bedroom door and took Matteusz's hands and moved to their bed. Matteusz lay down on his back and Charlie took his T-shirt off without any haste. Charlie kissed his forehead, then his cheek, and then his neck. Matteusz closed his eyes, feeling the arousal in his pants. He felt the loss of Charlie's lips and he opened his eyes to see Charlie undressing himself as he straddled Matteusz's crotch. This wasn't their first time with each other but so much had been said and so much had happened since the last time they were this intimate. Matteusz placed his hands on Charlie's abs and moved upwards to his chest and grazed his nipples eliciting a moan from him. Charlie bent down and continued his kissing on the neck and moved downwards. Matteusz was only becoming harder and his hands were grabbing Charlie's jeans clad ass as he bent to suck on Matteusz's nipples. After playing with them on both sides Charlie moved downwards and undid the button and zipper to both their pants. He took Matteusz's precum dripping cock in his hand gave it a few tugs and looked at his boyfriend's face. Matteusz was looking back with a pleased expression, moaning slightly. Charlie moved forward and was about to take his cock in his mouth when he heard Matteusz call his name. He looked up. "Are you sure?" Matteusz asked. Charlie nodded in return. They'd jerked each other off before, had penetrative sex, and Matteusz had even took him in his mouth but not the other way around. Charlie had told him how on his planet, it wasn't very respectable for a prince to take his lover in his mouth. Matteusz knew Charlie loved him very much but realized now that Charlie didn't think he was respectable after what he'd done. It wasn't that Charlie thought that blowing his boyfriend was something disrespectful but Matteusz hadn't wanted him to be uncomfortable with anything regarding his home planet's customs.

"You don't have to" Matteusz said as he raised his upper body off the bed with his elbows' support.

"It's alright. I'm no one's prince now" Charlie smirked.

Matteusz looked how Charlie said it as a fact without getting teary eyed. He bent down and cupped Charlie's face. "Hey, look at me! You will always be my prince. Since meeting you, my life has been a rollercoaster ride like in a fairytale and I am here with you. Monsters could not keep us apart. I have not lost respect for you. The opposite actually; I respect you more because of your bravery which I do not think I could have shown. You do not have to do anything you are not comfortable with. I will not love you less", Matteusz said.

Charlie saw the raw adoration in his boyfriend's eyes and the skeptical fear from days ago was gone. "I want you inside me", he stated.

"Anything you want", Matteusz said and hurriedly grabbed the lube and condom from the night stand. Charlie lay on his back with his legs bent. Matteusz put on the condom and slicked his cock with lube. He teased Charlie's entrance with his fingers a little. After a few moans from Charlie he felt his loosening. He lined his cock on Charlie's hole and pushed as slowly as he can. He was welcomed with hot tightness. He poured a few more drops of lube on his half entered cock and started moving back and forth. Charlie was almost to tears, so Matteusz asked if he was okay. "Keep going", Charlie answered. Matteusz bent down and kissed Charlie tenderly to distract him from the initial pain. After a few more slow thrusts Charlie was loosened up. He sped up his thrusts gradually and Charlie cried and moaned in pleasure.

"Lay on your back!" Charlie commanded.

Matteusz obeyed and Charlie adjusted and took him in. His knees were on Matteusz's sides as he rode his cock hard and fast. He lent down and looked into Matteusz's eyes. He rocked his hips as fast as he could, getting hit on the sweet spot, making him moan as spasms of pleasure reverberated through his body. Matteusz held onto his hips to thrust faster. Charlie cried in pleasure as he bent backwards as Matteusz moved like a piston in and out of Charlie faster with every thrust. Charlie saw stars behind his eyes and clenched down on Matteusz's cock as he came without his cock being touched. He heard Matteusz cry in pleasure as he thrust harder a couple of times and slide out of him after a few moments. Charlie fell forward on his boyfriend and both of them were catching their breaths as they lay there. Charlie heard a sob and looked up. Tears rolled down Matteusz's eyes. He let him cry as much as he needed as he wrapped his hands around him. Matteusz stopped after a while.

He grabbed a couple of tissue papers from the night stand and cleaned both of them. He threw the condom and the tissue into the waste basket and came back to the bed. He kissed Matteusz on the cheek. "I wish for you", he said and closed his eyes as he placed his hand on Matteusz's chest.

"I love you too", Matteusz said, wrapping his hands around Charlie.


End file.
